Hinata Confesses
by Melancholy of the Cello
Summary: NaruHina. Love story with an adventure! My first Naruto love fanfic. Enjoy! W/ the usual...all of the characters in Naruto and it's story belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Yes, *spoiler* Hinata has already confessed, but since I wrote this first...
1. Another mission with those two

Hinata Confesses

Prologue

Who would ever guess that love would come to someone like Hinata Hyuuga? She was never a strong ninja. She was viewed lesser by many people. She always felt like she was a burden to her team and always failed her missions. No one believed in her…that is until Naruto Uzumaki came along.

Naruto Uzumaki was the first to see Hinata for who she really was…and what she could be. Sure Shino and Kiba supported her, but Naruto was the first to openly admit his feelings about her, tell her that she is worth something. He gave her courage.

As the years passed and as Hinata grew older, she became stronger and more confident than she was in her genin years. She perfected her jutsus and succeeds in most of her missions.

But her next mission is the one that will change her life forever…

Chapter 1

"Oh wow," Hinata murmured, "Another mission. Neji!"

Neji and Hinata started on there way to the Hokage's office for briefing on their mission.

"Neji," Hinata whispered, trying to fill the silence on the way there, "What do you think the mission will be today?"

Neji stared blankly ahead, responding to Hinata's question indifferently, "Probably something that doesn't challenge our ninja ability, as the missions usually don't." Hinata could tell he was in mid-thought, probably wondering the same thing, despite his indifferent tone.

Halfway there, they spotted Sakura and Naruto up ahead. Hinata stopped in her tracks, her face a bright red.

True, Hinata hasn't seen Naruto in a few years, and sure, he was most likely going to the same place she and Neji were, but this was pathetic, surely.

_Get it together Hinata! Just keep walking, it'll be fine…_

"Hey, Hinata, Neji! You're getting briefed too?" Sakura yelled back, Naruto spun around.

_Oh no! What to do, what to do?_

The two teammates turned around to confront Hinata and Neji.

"Hey, I haven't seen you two in a while," Sakura said.

"There have been a lot of missions for me and Hinata," Neji responded.

Hinata noticed Naruto, not noticing her.

_Yet again, I'm invisible to him._

Feeling confident Hinata said, "Uh…hello Naruto…I haven't seen you for a while either…"

"Oh, hey Hinata! Yeah, I haven't seen much of anyone lately."

Sakura turned to face Naruto, "So…Naruto, you haven't seen much of anyone lately, huh?"

"That's right! I mean anyone important."

Sakura steamed with rage, "NARUTO!!!!" She tackled him, pinning him down, "So I am NO ONE to you?! Even though we've been on like, twenty missions together in the past month, I'm a NOBODY?!"

While Naruto was busy being assaulted by Sakura verbally and physically, Hinata and Neji exchanged looks and continued on, "Wait, wait! Don't leave me alone with…HER!" Naruto screamed.

_Oh, Naruto…_

"Another mission with those two…" Neji sighed.

**A/N: There's supposed to be a section break here, but for whatever reason; maybe the computer sucks, or I suck, there isn't one.**

When Hinata and Neji arrived at the Hokage's office and Naruto and Sakura didn't, Hinata began to worry about Naruto.

_I hope Sakura didn't take it too far._

Minutes later, Sakura and Naruto walk into the room, Naruto's face was covered with large bruises and Hinata couldn't help but chuckle.

"Finally," Lady Tsunade sighed, "I was wondering what happened to you…but seeing Naruto's face I guess I already know…" Shino, TenTen, and Shikamaru were also waiting.

"Good," Tsunade said, "Now we only need one more person."

A few minutes later, Kakashi opened the door a crack and poked his head in, studying the room. He noticed a lot of annoyed faces.

Tsunade sighed, "Ugh...Kakashi we were waiting for you."

"Sorry, I was helping an old lady cross the street," Kakashi said calmly.

Everyone sighed exasperatedly, nobody bought his latest story.

"She must have been a slow walker huh, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked sarcastically.

_Just like Kakashi-sensei to make up excuses._ Naruto thought.

"Lady Tsunade is an eight man squad really necessary?" Sakura asked.

"Once I tell you the mission, you can decide that for yourselves."

"Now," Tsunade began, "The Land of Cherry Blossoms used to be a beautiful oasis. All of its princesses have helped the land prosper, making it on of the most peaceful places in the world. The land's customs are not like ours. They do not promote war or any sort of violence; therefore they do not have ninja. Not even bodyguards, as you can guess—"

"That leaves the princess of that land vulnerable," Shikamaru added.

"Correct."

"You said _used_ to be," Sakura noted.

"Right. This is where your part comes in. We have received word from neighboring countries that the Land of Death is planning to launch an attack on the Land and their princess. I guess you know where this is going."

"So, we need to go over to the Land of Cherry Blossoms and be bodyguards to a princess?" Shikamaru asked.

"Also her land. Don't worry; it's a small country, with only 2,000 as its population." Shizune confirmed.

"Ah! Another princess protecting mission!" Naruto moaned.

"I guess it is necessary for all eight of us." Hinata murmured.

Everyone agreed.

"Kakashi, you will lead this team, you have thirty minutes to come up with a plan of action and thirty to get ready to go. After that, you must leave the village immediately. Time is of the essence! I chose you eight because you all have abilities that make up the ultimate team. Don't fail!" Tsunade said.

"Got it."

"Understood!"

"Alright!"

"Humph."

"We'll do our best!"

"We won't fail!"

"OK!"

"I won't let anything happen to the princess or the village! Believe it!"

**No, The Land of Cherry Blossoms and the Land of Death are not actual villages in _Naruto. _Thanks for reading the first chapter!**


	2. Hello

Chapter 2

Hinata found herself running late to the rendezvous point. For some reason, she felt herself slowing each step of the way. Neji had already left the Hyuuga home, so Hinata was wandering through the streets of the village on her own.

Finally, Hinata found her way to the meeting place; she was the last to arrive. Even Kakashi-sensei was there.

"I'm…I'm sorry I am late," Hinata said sincerely.

"Alright," Kakashi began, "We will split up into two groups, offensive and defensive. First on the defensive side, is Hinata. Then behind her…Naruto—"

"WHA?! Why am _I _on the defense?!" Naruto asked angrily.

Kakashi sighed, "Because Naruto, I wanted you to guard the princess and keep on a look out. Also, act as a substitute if the offense is down. Your jutsu and fighting style is best for that."

"Oh. Alright then." Naruto responded, surprised.

"Then," Kakashi continued, "Shikamaru and TenTen."

He waited for Shikamaru and TenTen to get into position. Then continued, "Now for the offense, Neji you're first—"

Yet again Naruto interrupted, "How come the two Hyuuga's are first?"

Everyone sighed, including Hinata.

_Oh, Naruto. _

"Because Naruto," Shikamaru explained, "Remember the Sasuke retrieval mission?"

How could Naruto forget? He lost his only true friend to the likes of Orochimaru. The very mention of Sasuke's name, much less the mission, brought him severe sadness. Naruto frowned at the thought of it all. Hinata felt severe sympathy for Naruto, even though she knew sympathy wouldn't help Naruto in the slightest.

He only nodded. Shikamaru went on, "Remember when Neji was in the front and why I said he was there?"

"Yeah, because he had the Byakugan and could see…oh." Naruto felt stupid for the question.

"As I was saying," Kakashi continued, "Neji then Sakura. Next, Shino then myself."

After each member checked for their weapons and discussed more of the mission plan, they were ready to go. They went to the village gates where Hinata and Neji got a three meter head start. Then, the others followed close behind. Mission time.

***

So far, Neji and Hinata had sensed no danger, mainly because it was almost certain that no one knew the Leaf was involving themselves in this. But I did say "almost". About twenty miles from the Land of Cherry Blossoms. The teams were ambushed by a group of five from the Land of Death.

"Neji…" Hinata paused.

"I see them, five I think." Neji responded.

The others, about five feet behind the two Hyuugas, stopped as well.

"What do you see?," Naruto asked.

"Five of them," Hinata answered, "Enemies."

Naruto ran in front, ready to fight. Hinata held an arm out, stopping him.

"Huh?" Naruto asked quizzically.

"We are the defensive team, let the others handle this." Hinata responded. Naruto sighed heavily, then stepped back.

Neji and the others ran forward. Hinata and the rest of her team stayed closely behind.

Five of them. Hinata studied them, hoping to find an advantage to her teams' side. One was a male, about six feet tall, skinny, with long, jagged, black hair. The odd thing was, he seemed to be the leader, but looked younger than the others, by about five years. Then she checked his chakra.

_What?_

His chakra, it wasn't any "color" Hinata had ever seen before. It was purple. In truth, Hinata was scared. Not for her, but the offensive team. What were they up against? Would Hinata and her team have to intervene quicker than planned? She didn't have to observe the others, the leader was all the proof she needed to come up with the conclusion that led to the complete failure to this mission.

Hinata almost ran up to tell Neji, but then she realized that Neji had the Byakugan, too, so there was no need. She stayed behind with the others.

"Hinata," Naruto whispered, "What're we up against?"

Hinata was reluctant to answer. She knew Naruto. She knew how he would act if he was given the complete truth. But she told him anyway, "I didn't look at the others because of the middle one. One look at him, I decided there was no need."

Hinata realized how harshly she put it, like this one teenage-like man could lead to the total destruction of eight Leaf Village ninja…all by himself. It was just something about this one. The glare in his eyes, it frightened her. The others didn't seem disturbed by it, but…Hinata, was terrified. She dare not show it, though. Not in front of everyone else. Not in front of Naruto.

"Leaf Village ninja, huh?" an unknown voice called.

This voice caught Hinata off guard. The deepness of it, the…depressed sound, the beauty of it, caught her off guard.

She realized that the voice belonged to the leader. The one that scared her, frightened her, has now been attached to the voice of what lulled her. It was…intriguing.

"Crossing these borders have been banned, as of…now," the leader said in a sing-song way. It still lulled Hinata, to the point where she almost fainted.

***

In a flash, a giant sword was headed the defensive team's way.

_How'd he…?!_

"Too slow," he sung as Hinata tried to dodge, "Take this!"

…_?!_

Hinata quickly used her Protection of the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms has her defense against the sword. It wasn't the full technique, just enough to protect her front, and it worked.

"Hmm…" the leader voiced, "Hyuuga clan, eh? Very good indeed. You have yourselves a good defensive leader."

_I knew it. He must have known we were defensive; otherwise, he wouldn't have attacked me at all. But…I don't understand how he knew it…_

The leader hopped off the branch he was standing on, landing two feet from Hinata. Her eyes were wide with fear. Naruto ran in front of her, shielding her from him.

"Leave her alone," he glared.

"Humph," the leader shrugged Naruto off and summoned his large sword back into his hand, "I only wanted to say hello."

***Thanks for reading Chapter 2!!! ;)***


	3. He likes me for my mind

Chapter 3

_Hello?_

Hinata was confused, taken aback…by all of it. She wanted to run from it, run from the mission.

_No! I will not run anymore. I will face this until the end!_

Hinata remembered that Naruto had shielded her from him. He was still standing in front of her. Hinata felt angry at him. Was she that much of baby that she needed to be protected when no threat was there?

"Naruto," Hinata called, rising, "You don't have to guard me like that anymore, and I'm fine."

Naruto turned, "Uh, what? I'm not protecting you."

"But before—"

"Oh, right! I was then, but not now. You're strong enough to handle it now right, Hinata?"

Hinata was elated. Naruto recognized her strength and trusts her enough to take care of herself. Hinata drew her hands into fists, tightly squeezing until her knuckles turned a bright white.

_I won't disappoint you, Naruto._

"Naruto," Hinata began, "You seem very eager to fight, why don't you join the offensive team for a bit."

Naruto didn't wait for another word, he sprinted into action. Hinata chuckled under her breath.

_Oh, Naruto…_

She had forgotten about the other four, so she quickly studied their outer selves.

There was one woman, fighting Sakura, and by the looks of it, was winning. Her hair was blonde, long and in a neat braid. Her eyes were a piercing blue; she was truly beautiful, just like the leader. Another woman, who was fighting Shino, was a red head, her hair was held in a large bun. A bang hung, it had black steaks through it. She was very muscular, but still very pretty. Then, Hinata saw a large muscular man fighting with Neji. He had brown, spiked, hair and brown eyes. But…where was the—

Before Hinata could react, a long Katana-like sword pierced Hinata. She hadn't realized this until she felt a stinging. Like a large bee sting, that became more like a piercing pain in her left lower side as the seconds progressed.

"You call yourself a defensive leader? You're just a lost little girl in grown ups world. You should really pay more attention," the fourth one called from behind her.

_Dammit! How could have I not seen him?!_

Hinata was losing blood fast; she had to suppress the wound before she bled to death. But to do that, Hinata would have to extract the sword from her body, which this man was confident in not letting her do. He held on to his sword, laughing.

****

Hinata was angry, but scared. Her life was in his hands. She had to get her and that sword away from him.

_Think, Hinata!_

Then she got it.

Her Gentle Fist Technique was her only shot. If she could twist just enough to reach a fraction of the blade, she could use her Gentle Fist to separate her from him. She had no other option.

_Gentle Fist!_

Nothing happened.

The man laughed hysterically, "You little girl, that won't work on my Takai Tenchi!"

"Takai…Tenchi…?"

"Yeah, my best sword, indestructible by any jutsu," he twisted the blade, causing Hinata cry in pain…causing her to scream.

"Hinata!" Naruto yelled.

"It's OK…don't…worry…please…" Hinata couldn't even convince herself it was going to be "OK" but she didn't want to be rescued anymore. She kept healing her wound while the blade was still twisting inside her. Her only option…was to run. She had run so fast that the sword would leave its owner, or she'd leave the sword.

_Run, Hinata…_

It worked. She was in massive pain, but she was free.

"Hmm, you are special. No wonder Brother is taking a liking to you. He likes your mind…"

***OK, for those of you thinking, 'Twilight'. You're wrong; I _hate _'Twilight' with a _**passion **_to be honest. It just seems natural for a Naruto fan fiction. Thanks for reading Chapter 3!!***


	4. A New Side

Hinata couldn't think, she couldn't breathe, and her mind played that statement over and over again like a broken record. Over and over…

_He likes your mind…_

_He likes your mind…_

_He likes your mind…_

"Fall back," called a calm voice, "we don't have time to fool around with these ninja."

Everyone of that rogue group did what they were told immediately, without question. After the ninja had left, Sakura came sprinting to Hinata's aid, also injured.

"Hinata, I saw what you did, that was great!" Sakura smiled.

"Oh…uh, thank you," Hinata thanked Sakura shyly.

As Sakura began to heal the wound, as she was much more experienced than Hinata, she talked to Hinata telling her about what she thought about the enemy. Hinata zoned in and out of the conversation, she was still formulating her own theory about the enemy, especially the leader.

_I think I know how now._

"Sa—Sakura," Hinata murmured.

Hinata still had trouble breathing and her side hurt immensely. The bleeding had subsided though.

Naruto came rushing back to Hinata's side.

"Hinata, I…I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have left you," Naruto cried.

"No…no you should of. Thank you," Hinata replied sheepishly.

Naruto was confused, "Eh?"

"I mean," Hinata replied, "now I was able to show my strength and defend myself for a change."

"Oh."

Hinata suddenly felt dizzy and tired.

"Ugh, Sakura!" she said with the last of her breath, "the leader he—"

She was out cold.

Hinata…wake up…

"Agh!" Hinata had just woken up from a terrible dream. She dreamed she was attacked by a large man with an indestructible sword and that she was badly injured.

Oh, that wasn't a dream…

She lay awake on a hospital bed feeling much better. Sakura, Shino, and Neji were standing in front of her bed.

"Are you feeling better?" Sakura asked sympathetically.

"Y…Yes thank you," she replied, whispering.

"We're in the Land of Cherry Blossoms!"

"We are?" "…We are!"

Hinata jumped out of her bed, when her feet came in contact with the floor, she felt a lot of pain but kept going.

"Hey, hey," Sakura called, "don't push it!"

"Aren't you supposed to be protecting the princess?" Hinata called back.

Sakura ran up to her side and everyone else followed, "Uh, Hinata. About that, it turns out the princess is very reluctant about letting us fight for her. She's declining every offer we give her. Naruto and the others are still trying to persuade her."

This only made Hinata walk faster, "No way, after all you guys have been through…am I ever letting us just go home!"

"Hinata…" Shino whispered, surprised.

The palace's entrance was elaborate in its beauty. The very walls were made out of a granite-like stone and the entrance had a beautiful spiral design on its center, very reminiscent of the Yin-Yang symbol. The Japanese characters for peace and love centered themselves in the design. Sakura trees aligned with the pathway to the doorway.

Hinata admired the intricate design of the entrance and front yard for only a few moments. She was still very enraged at the so called princess of the Land of Cherry Blossoms.

She entered foyer of the palace still very much enraged but more calm than before. Even the foyer was beautiful. The walls were…jewel encrusted? Hinata thought it a bit much for a palace such as this…or for any palace.

Hinata had the freedom to burst in to the throne room and personally confront the princess since there were no guards to stop her.

So she did.

She charged through the double doors and ended up in front of the princess before Naruto and the others could blink. Even the princess was startled.

Hinata was surprised, she was so young. The princess was about her age, but spoke with the authority of an adult, "Who might you be?"

"I am Hyuuga Hinata from the Leaf Village and I have come to convince you to let us help you."

"For the last time, we are not accepting your assistance! Your friends here have tried so hard to convince me, but it won't work! Letting you fight for me on my land would mean demoralizing my country of peace!"

"But you are in danger!"

"Why should I even trust you Leaf ninja?" The princess snapped back, leaning closer to Hinata, staring her down.

Hinata felt intimidated, but only for an instant. Her glare matched the princess's.

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, then Hinata spoke, "…Because, I spent a day in your hospital because of the ninja that are after your crown. They aren't reluctant to killing women they will do it, if you pose a threat or if you're an obstacle in their way they will eliminate you. If you just let us help you…"

Everyone stared. The other members that had followed Hinata from the hospital room were also in awe.

"Hinata…" everyone sighed in disbelief. This was a new side of her.

"…Just give us a chance. G—give me a chance."

The princess closed her eyes and sat in a meditating position. Hinata turned around and sat next to TenTen, waiting for the deliberation.

After a long ten minutes, the princess opened her fierce, grey eyes.

"Alright," she announced, "please…please protect me."

"Alright! You won't regret it! Believe it!" Naruto yelled in excitement.

He ran up to Hinata who was on the other side of the throne room. He hugged her tightly and Hinata could feel herself going red, "Hinata, you were brilliant!"

_N—Naruto is hugging me…?_

Sakura ran over and knocked Naruto over the head.

"You idiot! Not in front of the princess!" Sakura yelled.

The next morning the team woke up bright and early. Naruto, naturally, was one of the first ones up and ready. The eight shinobi quickly assembled in the palace's meeting room. Then, once everyone was there, Kakashi went over the team plan. Well, all except for Hinata.

Hinata was running late again. This was certainly not the impression she wanted to make on the team. This time though, she had a good reason. The princess had stopped her in the hallway to 'make polite conversation' as she put it.

* * *

_Girl, why did you do that?_

_Do what?_

_Being so persistent just like that blonde, spiky haired brat just to risk your life for me?_

_W—well, I don't know. I mean, uh, we had traveled so far and almost got killed coming here. It made me think that all these lives here could be lost…including yours. Then, I thought about all those shinobi back in my village who died in the fight against Orochimaru and the Sand Village, including our Hokage._

_Your…Hokage?_

_Huh? Oh, yes. The leader of our village past away in the fight against Orochimaru._

_Orochi…maru? I have heard of him, I think. Ah, yes, he is the one who is part of this plot against my country._

_? !  
_

_Well, I must get going…and by the looks of the clock, you do too..._

_

* * *

_

Perfectly good excuse.

Hinata stumbled her way into the meeting room followed by a series of mumbled "I'm s—sorry I'm late".

Kakashi spoke up, "Late again, Hinata?"

"W—well, the princess wanted to speak to me."

"Anyway," Neji interrupted, "shouldn't we be coming up with a plan of action?"

"I'm with the genius," Naruto said sarcastically. Neji glared.

"Right," Kakashi began, "we will still remain defensive and offensive teams, but since we have recently gotten a taste of the enemy's power, we have to rethink our strategy."

"Uh," Hinata voiced, "About that—"

"It's not like we have any information on them," Naruto interrupted.

"About that—"

"Surely one of you gathered a bit of information on the enemy," Kakashi responded.

"Well, I did find out that the woman I was fighting uses water style techniques," Sakura said.

"Way to go Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Excuse me!" Hinata spoke up, "I found out something about the leader. He r—reads minds."

Everyone stared.

"Uh, Hinata, not that you didn't do a good job or anything but…that doesn't make sense."

"He never anticipated any of my movements when we fought," Kakashi added.

"But, he must have known my team was the defensive team or he wouldn't have attacked us so out right…attacked me so outright," Hinata defended.

"What does it matter if he attacked us first?"

"I already told you, it was to get us out of the way. Remember, we are the backup for the offense. Our chakra and energy was at its maximum and we wouldn't be expecting his attack."

TenTen sighed, "She has a valid point, but he could have just figured that out by logic. I mean, since we were immobile as the defense he could have just used common sense to figure it out."

Everyone nodded in agreement, dismissing Hinata's far fetched idea.

"Fine, it was probably just in my mind," Hinata said, not believing a word of it.

"Anything else?" Kakashi asked absently.

"The man I was fighting," Hinata began quietly, "had a katana-like sword that he called his…Takai Tenchi. My Gentle Fist couldn't even scratch it."

"Oh, I checked the leader's chakra," Neji spoke, "it was…odd. The color was purple."

All of the team members looked confused.

"I saw it, too," Hinata confirmed.

"Good. That's a start."

"One more thing. I think they're all related."

"You sure?" Naruto asked.

"About, uh 50/50. The man fighting said something about a 'Brother taking a liking to me.'"

"Well, we better get going," Kakashi concluded, "I need you to get back into your groups and meet at the village entrance at sunset. Don't be late." He glanced Hinata's way and she couldn't help but blush.

"You're one to talk," Naruto murmured.

* * *

"You are an idiot!"

"I—I'm sorry B—Brother! It just slipped out."

"They already have a substantial amount of information over us. You blurting that out makes our situation worse!"

"Masaru, calm down please. It isn't the end of the world. Who cares what kind of information they have over us? It won't change—"

"Ayame, I have no time for your stupidity at this very moment, please go."  
"Now, Akane and Ryuunosuke go to the Land of Cherry Blossoms and give the new guests a little greeting."

* * *

At the village entrance, Hinata waited thirty minutes before sunset at the entrance just in case. If anyone needed to talk to her, it would be from under a Sakura tree.

_Underneath a cherry blossom tree is very pretty. The sun shines through it so beautifully._

"Hinata Hyuuga?"

Hinata turned her head and sat up from her laid back position to see who had called her, "Huh?—"

_? !  
_

***Thanks for reading Chapter 4!***


	5. Have a Little Faith

Chapter 5

_Where…am I?_

Hinata woke up quite confused. Where was she? Who took her? More importantly…why?

Hinata looked around, observing everything she possibly could. She was in what looked like a living room. The lights were few and dim, so there wasn't much she could see. One of the candles was near a curtain and she could tell that the curtain was long, and elaborate with golden tassels and in a beautiful red-velvet color. This wasn't some cold, dark, solemn containment room. It was a home.

Hinata sat up, realizing she could do so. There were no restraints on her. No ropes or chains. Whoever took her obviously wasn't afraid of her leaving. One part of Hinata wanted to Gentle Fist her way out of that room and prove them wrong. The other parts, however, stayed calm and tried to figure everything out. What time was it? Were the others looking for her? Of course they were…but then again…

_Maybe they think I'm late again…_ Hinata thought woefully. Hinata knew herself that she shouldn't put herself down like that. She knew that she shouldn't always assume the worst. But, in this scenario, it would be hard to be angry at her for feeling a little anti-optimistic. Even for Naruto.

These people, she concluded, obviously aren't here to make her feel completely uncomfortable. So, the young Hyuga walked up to the door, taking in a deep breath, before finally opening it.

* * *

Naruto felt like he was the only one truly searching for Hinata. Was he the only one who cared? The more he searched, and the more the others sat and conversed among themselves (a conversation, might he add, that was completely irrelevant to Hinata's disappearance), the more Naruto wanted to slap sense into them all.

"What wrong with you guys?!" Naruto finally shouted after doing a quick scan of the area, "None of you are doing anything! Not even Hinata's own cousin will help me look for her…" he paused and glared devilishly at Neji, who nonchalantly shrugged off his implications.

"Naruto," Neji began, finally able to speak what was on everyone's mind, sparing Naruto, "we aren't doing anything because we know that Hinata can handle things herself. Hinata wouldn't go down so easily…have a little faith."

"How can you all be so sure?" Naruto questioned, still not believing a word that Neji alleged.

"Because Hinata has gotten really strong, Naruto," Sakura replied, walking up to him and resting her hand on his shoulder sympathetically, "she seemed to be pretty confident if you remember…when talking to the princess. She was so fearless. I doubt that this fact was a fluke."

Naruto grinned slightly, Sakura was right after all. Naruto had never seen that side of Hinata; and by the looks of it, no else saw it coming. It was time…to have a little faith in Hinata.

_You can do it,_ Naruto thought, staring ahead, hoping she could hear him somehow, _Hinata…I believe you can..._


	6. Deeper Reason

**Sorry my updates have been so few and so short. :( I really do want to finish it but because of the long hold on it I basically have to rethink what I wanted the plot to be laid out like. Also, I'm having to share the computer much more because of personal reasons. I promise that I will try to update much more over the summer!**

**Thanks for your patience and support.**

**

* * *

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Chapter 6

Hinata stood frozen at the top of the stairs. Why was she just standing there? She was so tired of being afraid. It was so much apart of her now that there was no stopping it. It was automatic like a reflex. She wanted to gag or laugh hysterically at her own fear. At this rate, she would be up there until someone came to get her.

She knew she wasn't right for this mission…

"Miss Hyuga! Do come down and join us, won't you?"

It was that same lovely voice that spoke earlier. Hinata started to walk down the steps out of an impulse, but then stopped mid-step.

_What the hell am I doing? How do I know that's not a trap?_

Hinata found it in her to muster up some courage and called from above, "W-why am I here? W-where's my team?"

"Come down and we'll talk about that," he said, this time with a little more haste, a little less patience.

Hinata walked downstairs, more or less in a slow pace. The stairs were wide and they made small creaking noises wherever she stepped.

When Hinata finally reached the bottom, she immediately observed her surroundings, like she was taught to in situations like these. Décor wise, it was almost exactly the same as the room she was just in, but bigger. She stepped timidly into the room and made sure not to make eye contact with her kidnappers. They were all there; the red-head, the blond, and that muscular one…the one that had attacked her and almost killed her. Chills rushed like a tidal wave down her spine.

"Don't be afraid, my dear," the assumed leader assured her, "I promise you will not get hurt."

This did not comfort Hinata one bit. It wasn't like he was Neji or Shino or…Naruto. He was her kidnapper and as such, should not be trusted. Hinata stood before them, looking like a frightened little kitten. She received severe stares from the other members of the group of rival ninja. The red head seemed to be staring at something more than just Hinata's out appearance. Her eyes seemed to be searching her inner soul. Dissecting it and analyzing every atom.

The blonde had looked away and moved on to looking at her double-edged sword, studying it for defects. The big one was still starring, killing her this time with his mind. The leader was starring, too, but, for deeper reasons it seemed. It was almost as if he was looking at her like she was food. Okay, maybe that wasn't the best term for it. The way he looked at her was sort of like…lust. He wanted her. It was all in his eyes.

Of course, this made Hinata feel a little uneasy about standing vulnerable in front of him. She fidgeted with her hand and shuffled her feet about, unable to stop moving.

"You know, Miss Hyuga," the leader spoke, his eyes showed the reflection of the firelight in the room; tantalizing Hinata with every flicker of its intense light, "your friends, if they do decide to come back for you, which, unfortunately for you, is not as likely, they will not make it past our gates."


	7. 3rd Son

**Woo! 15 days! I think that's my quickest update since I started Hinata Confesses! I rushed to get it done b/c I was tired of it sitting in my Writings folder unfinished. I don't think it'll be too long now... until the title actually has some significance. Enjoy the chapter! Happy, blessed, Memorial Day everyone.  
**

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* * *

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Hinata could see the smug grins on her kidnappers faces even in the lurid, dimly-lit room. She clenched her fists tightly, her eyes narrowing to nothing more than slits. Her venomous anger showing clearly in the dark room. How dare they belittle her comrades. How dare they accuse them of such a treachery! Hinata knew that they would come for her; that they would break down that gate and take her back.  
"What's with the angry stare, young one?" an unfamiliar voice cooed. The sound of it was as smooth as silk, but lashed at her like a snake. It was the blonde. She continued to sharpen her sword. She seemed to be caressing the blade with the sharpener, instead of coarsely rubbing it against the blade. Her eyes followed the path of the sharpener, even that was snake-like. Hinata's voice could not be heard. She seemed to be choking on her response.  
"Hey!" the woman said, sharper this time, "I asked you..._girl_, what's with your glare?" Her eyes shifted fluently to the side of her sockets, her ice-blue irises staring straight into Hinata's eyes. She also seemed to be analyzing her; just like the red-head.  
"Ayame!" the leader lashed out at his partner, "Be quiet!"  
Ayame took one look at the brunette with the lovely voice and instantly went back to sharpening her weapon. The others remained silent. It was clear to Hinata who was in control.

Hinata cleared her throat softly, again feeling confidence, "You make a mockery of my comrades, telling me lies like that! I _know_ they will come back for me! If you make jokes of them like that, the least you could do is say it to their faces!" Her head was down the entire time, but the boldness in her voice helped her get her point across.  
There was a long silence as if they were actually listening to what she was saying; or regretting their attitude.  
But no.  
"It seems she was right, Brother," the red-head commented seconds later, "they're here for her. Should we go greet them?"  
"I thought I _told_ you to do that earlier, Ryuunosuke, Akane?" the leader spat ruefully.  
"We _did_," Akane replied just as angrily, "but then something changed."

_Three hours previous..._

Akane and Ryuunosuke went back to the Land of Cherry Blossoms after taking Hinata back to their lair. They had planned to rid the ninja world of the others, so that their brother's plan wasn't ruined. They had no idea what exactly that plan was, their brother never revealed all of his plans; but it's not like they questioned his judgment anyway.

When he wasn't around, Akane and Ryuunosuke loved to impersonate their leader.

Mockingly, Akane started the movement against him, "Oooh, I'm so smart! I love women that don't love me back! Mother always thought I was the best! I am so beautiful!"  
"I love to treat my older siblings like dirt!" Ryuunosuke continued in a deeper, more spiteful mocking tone, "I'm so snide and cynical! 'I am the third son of the third son of the third son! I am the born leader! Mother says I am a symbol of the divine!' Well you know what Masaru-?"  
"We don't care! Never have we cared!" Akane yelled, releasing the rage she had towards her brother.

"I can't wait until someone knocks him back into reality," Ryuunosuke smiled viciously at the idea.

"Maybe it'll be that new girl he's got. She seems like the rebellious type."  
"Maybe if her shyness doesn't get in the way," Ryuunosuke added, Akane nodded.

They had finally arrived at the gates of the palace. Two Leaf ninja were standing on either side of the gates. One looked like the girl they had just taken...a Hyuga. Akane recalled that he was fighting her brother Benjirou and was actually a match for him. Of course, that was only because Benjirou hadn't had a chance to unveil his master weapon. If he had, there would be no hope for any of them. But of course, Masaru wouldn't want his elder brother to steal his thunder.  
The other was a blonde boy in a orange and black jumpsuit. Before Benjirou had left their lair for other business matters he told the group one thing and one thing only:

"Be careful of the blonde one. There's something...dark in him."

Akane and Ryuunosuke both respected their older brother, he was a much better sibling than Masaru, but had fallen to his younger brother's control, too. So, they did exactly what Benjirou advised and decided to face the boy together, wishing they had one more sibling here with them.

"Well, I'll take him first, you take the other Hyuga," Ryuunosuke said," Then once the Hyuga's eliminated we'll both attack the blonde; if I haven't done away with him by then. If that doesn't work...we'll just tie them up and say that we killed them."

"Yeah," Akane agreed, "I really don't care if they get the girl back anyway. Brother's very serious about this new one. He might _actually_ be attracted to her. I don't want a girl like that in his life...whether I hate him or not; especially, if she hates him."

"You afraid she'll tear the family apart?" Ryuunosuke asked her. Akane only looked down; her eyes gave the answer to the question.  
He put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her calmly, "Nothing or nobody is gonna break us up, Ne. I'll make sure of it."

"So, we fought them. For a moment we thought this could be easier than we thought, but then things took a turn for the worse when out of no where the blonde kid got stronger. He just wouldn't give up. We tied them up and left immediately," Akane said, her story finished.  
Hinata smiled faintly, _Naruto never gives up!_

Masaru looked enraged, "_Why?"_ he shouted, "Why on Earth would you not kill them?"

Akane looked at him like he was dinner, "You wouldn't want to hurt your new girlfriend's feelings. Would you, Masaru?" The younger sibling looked at the cowering girl behind her, "she seems pretty sad already."

Masaru only glared at his sister and then he turned to an afraid Hinata with a blank expression, "I'm sorry," he says, "this is for your own good."  
Hinata took in a sharp breath. She stepped back in fear, only to hit a wall.

"All of you! Go eliminate every last one of them. Don't come back until you do..." he looked back at Hinata, "and when that's done...Miss Hyuga and I shall take the Land of Cherry Blossoms, with you three at our side."

Hinata blushed and looked away immediately. She looked down at her palms, as if the lines on them could reveal a fortune.  
The others dispelled immediately, leaving Hinata alone with the one who apparently felt something more than she thought he did about her.  
Hinata clenched her fists. If he thought she was just go along with this and submit to what he wanted like the rest of his "family"...

...he had another thing coming.

* * *

**Yea another shortie. 3 pages. :( Hopefully, before this story ends, I hope to get at least 5 pages in a chapter. Also, I plan to make significant revisions in past chapters, because to be honest, now that I have come back after a long hiatus and read them, I hate them. I'm sure in 20 years I'll say the same thing when I read the whole story (ya, know, after me becoming a rich and famous author ;)). But..yea...there will be revisions to come after I finish the story of course. xD **

**Yes, one more thing: I made a big mistake. Well, to me its big. I spent so long on this chapter because I needed to fix this problem within this next chapter, not the one I messed up in. So, if you happened to notice it before and say "Hey...what? But I thought..." then yes, I messed up. I apologize. If you didn't notice and can't notice now that this chapter has been read..."MUHAHAHAHA! It will haunt you forever because you will _never_ know!"**

**Unless someone says something... x-( **


	8. Fly on the Wall

**Well, here is the next installment. Again, sorry it took me so long. It's been a busy summer. Thank you for all the great reviews and comments. Go NaruHina!**

**~M.o.t.C**

* * *

Naruto's ease about Hinata's capture was fading quickly. There had been no sign of her. There were no messenger birds flying their way with a note from the Hyuuga stating her whereabouts and that she was doing fine. There was nothing. The fact that there was nothing made Naruto scared.

"I have to go after her," he says abruptly, just as Sakura was about to explain to the princess that she and Naruto were going to stand guard for her today.

Sakura shifted her attention from the fuming princess (she is still angry about having to do this in the first place) to the blonde haired nuisance behind her. She wanted to kill him.

"What did you say?" the pink haired kunoichi asked. It was rhetorical, of course she'd heard him, or otherwise she wouldn't be making a move for his throat, "You can't go, but someone else can. You heard Kakashi, after that whole thing with you and the two ninja that you went berserk over; you and I have to stay. I'm sure Hinata can take care of herself."

Naruto growled internally. Why did everyone treat him like such a wild animal that would break out his cage at any moment? Well, because, back at the palace gates, he did turn into one of those things. He was just so angry that they had the nerve to show their faces again...without Hinata; even if it was just the two of them.

"Hinata..." Sakura began carefully, as if mentioning her was the equivalent of mentioning a recently deceased loved one, "I think should want you to put the princess first."

"But...Sakura..." Naruto mumbled.

"Uzumaki Naruto," a commanding, feminine voice called for the shinobi. The princess is speaking. Naruto did not hesitate to show respect and face her, "this girl...you obviously care for her, right?" her face was expressionless, her grey eyes stared the teenage boy down.

"Y-yes. She is a very dear friend of mine," he responded, not very sure where she was getting at.

If Naruto had been a person to look into every little detail of what a person does, or observant at all, he would have noticed the Princess flinch a very small fraction (but still, she flinched). If he had been that sort of person, he would have noticed her eye twitch slightly. But he wasn't so he didn't.

The Princess cleared her throat and continued, "When she was here, after that little...for lack of a better word, conversation we had, I have observed her very closely. She is a very...interesting girl. Not many have dared to stand up to me like she did. I have also observed her training out in the forest. She has a perseverance that I have rarely seen before. Perseverance much like yours, Uzumaki Naruto. It is from this that I conclude that she is very capable of taking care of herself and that even in the most trying situations she has the skills and the drive to eventually prevail."

At first, Naruto had no words for what the Princess of the Land of Cherry Blossoms had said to him. Yet, he knew she was absolutely right. Hinata could fend for herself and even if someone did go, Naruto would just have to realize that he had an obligation to the princess and that when he joined this group for this mission he had made an unspoken promise to protect the leader of this country. Naruto always kept his promise. And he knew that Hinata would never want him to break that promise for her, no matter how much he wanted to.

"You're right," Naruto said and smiled.

The princess nodded and said matter-of-factly, "I usually am. That is why I am the ruler of this country, soon to be a queen."

The two ninja and the princess sat in silence for the moment while Naruto and Sakura were packing their ninja gear. The woman watched them as they prepared to fight for her, to risk their lives for someone who rejected them in the first place.

"Thank you," she mumbled, but the two ninja still heard her. They only smiled in response.

The door of the throne room crashed open, with Neji and Shikamaru rushing inside. They looked panicked, Neji especially.

"W-what's wrong?" Sakura asked urgently.

"We've got a problem," Shikamaru said, "a big one."

* * *

Hinata needed to find a way out. She needed to find some way to contact the others. The Hyuuga couldn't just stay here with everything that's been going on. Her capture was probably stressing others out, distracting them from what they really needed to do, protect the princess.

"L-let me g-go," Hinata pleaded with the leader after the others had dispersed. Her confidence from before faded, "Y-you have no reason to keep m-me here."

"Oh yes I do," Masaru replied calmly, "I really enjoy your company. Is that not a reason?"

Hinata found this odd. Not because she thought he was lying or that it didn't seem like much of a reason to give, but because no one had ever said to her face that they enjoyed her company. That they liked her being present. She sort of knew that Kiba and Shino felt that way plenty of times but they never actually said it. But of course, she never did ask.

"W-why?"

"You seem to be a very intelligent, headstrong woman, Miss Hyuuga. Your mind it's...very interesting. You're kind and pretty."

Hinata almost wanted to say, thank you for such a kind comment, but then she remembered who she was listening to and clammed up immediately.

She needed to find a way out. Some way...any way that she could possibly think of to escape and go back to her team. And at that moment, the young Hyuuga had a brilliant idea. She was going to use Masaru's love against him. He would have to let his guard down if she did just enough to have him put his faith in her.

"E-excuse me," she began; the leader turned and smiled, "w-what is your name a-again?"

* * *

Shikamaru and Neji pulled Naruto and Sakura aside in a corner in the throne room to be away from the princess. This certainly was not something the ruler of this country needed to hear. Once they were all listening and ready for the news, Neji spoke first.

"We have reason to believe that there is someone working for our enemies on the inside."

"What?" Sakura exclaimed, hushing herself in the midst of the word, "Do you mean...they've got someone here that's their accomplice?" Kiba and Neji nodded.

"Whoa," Naruto mumbled, "How can you be sure?"

"For one," Shikamaru started, "while you were outside guarding the gates yesterday, it appears another one of 'them' found a vent big enough to crawl through on the northern wing of the palace."

"But that's impossible," Sakura said, "We have all of the schematics of the building under our possession. It is too difficult to find. If you look for it, no doubt you'll get caught before you find it."

"Yes. Then you get why we have a problem here," Neji replied.

"Someone here is giving information to the enemy," Naruto mumbled, finally realizing.

"Well, what should we do?" Sakura asked. She a little panicked.

Neji went on to explain that they can't tell the princess. It was a reasonable request; worrying her stiff wouldn't solve anything. She still had to run the country while keeping this whole ninja ordeal under wraps. The Hyuuga also explained one thing that no one could have anticipated him to say.

"Worst case-scenario," he began, "the accomplice could be Hinata."

"W-what?" Naruto said bewildered, "How can you, her own cousin, suspect Hinata of something like this? !"

Sakura gave him a tap on his shoulder, "Naruto, think about it. They have Hinata under their control right now. They could be doing or saying anything to make her comply. Trust me, if Hinata was the accomplice, which we both know is almost impossible to believe, she must have a good reason."

"I...I still don't believe Hinata could do something like that," Naruto mumbled, his voice somber.

"Neither do I, dude," Shikamaru chimed in sympathetically.

"Which is why must find the real accomplice," Neji said confidently.

Sakura turned for the moment and looked back at the princess. She was seated on her throne, looking at the group in the corner. Her eyes were full of question and concern and...something else Sakura could not name. It wasn't in her eyes this time, but in her body language. To look so worried and curious in the face and yet be so...calmed and relaxed in the body...it looked unnatural.

I'm sure I'm just over analyzing it, she thought and smiled sweetly at the princess. She hoped it would communicate to the Land of Cherry Blossom's ruler that everything was going to be okay.

"So, what do we do now?" she heard Naruto ask and the pink-haired girl turned back around.

"Naruto, Shino, you, TenTen, and Kakashi are going to the enemy's lair. Shikamaru, you Sakura and I will stay here and guard the princess while investigating any potential snitch," Neji replied.

"But how will we know where they are?" Naruto asked him.

Neji was about to reply but did not get a chance to because of an ominous shadow the foursome saw casted over the wall. They all turned in shock to find that it was only Aburame Shino.

"Do you have to sneak up on people like that?" Naruto asked the calm, cool, and collected shinobi. He didn't reply.

Naruto had by then turned his attention back to Neji, but it was then that the glasses wearing shinobi decided to speak, "When I was fighting that one woman, I figured the odds that I would win that fight and concluded that I would probably lose,"-he sounded like Shikamaru to Sakura-"so, I couldn't just let her leave without gaining anything for us. So, I simply had some of my male bugs attach to her clothes."

"Oh yeah! And then the females track the scent!" Naruto exclaimed. Shino nodded.

"This could actually work!" Naruto smiled confidently.

The golden-haired shinobi knew that they could rescue Hinata and defeat their enemies. He knew that the princess would be safe and was looking forward to her ruling her country in peace. Everything was going to work out great.

After all, it was just another princess protecting mission.


	9. Escape

**It's another installment. This story might take longer than I had anticipated. It's, again, short. I apologize that for some reason I can't be fast and have a lengthy chapter at the same time.**

**Anyway, enjoy.  
**

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Naruto, TenTen, Kakashi, and Shino left for the kidnapper's lair the next morning. Naturally, Naruto was very eager to leave quickly, as he is always antsy when it came to saving someone. The fact that it was Hinata only made him more eager. She was a dear friend of his and Naruto made a silent vow to always be there for his friends. Even the one who's friendship meant the most to him...even though that friend betrayed him.

It was an incredibly short distance from the palace. This fact made Naruto and surely the others cringe...they were _so_ close.

Shino and his bugs led the way, seeming completely confident in where they were going. The team arrived in less than ten minutes, careful to hide amongst the brush and trees that surrounded the enemy lair. It wasn't as menacing as the group thought it would be. It was a large mansion-like house with about four windows on each side of the home, all of the curtains were drawn together. Whatever was going on in there they didn't want anyone to see.

The place didn't seem very heavily guarded on the outside. In fact, there was no one on the outside. Were these guys just being cocky...or stupid?

The group of ninja formulated a plan of entry in the bushes. They did not necessarily trust what they saw. The enemy could be waiting in the trees, waiting for the oblivious group to strike. Or, the large home could be heavily guarded on the inside. Obviously, knocking on the front door wasn't going to cut it.

"Dang it, we should have brought Neji with us," Naruto whispered, "That way, we could see exactly who is on the inside."

The others silently agreed. They would have to find some way into the home safely without a Byakugan user to help them out. After much whispering about the plan of attack, they had finally come to a decision.

"I feel someone," Sakura whispered as they were leaving their spot from behind the bushes, "They're getting closer."

This stopped the group of ninja in their tracks. One by one, the ninja confirmed the Haruno's feelings. Someone was gaining on them and they didn't really try to hide themselves. It was like they wanted to be found out...

"Who's there?" TenTen half whispered.

Out of what seemed like the shadows, Hinata appeared. She wasn't wearing shoes and her baggy jacket was no where to be seen. Her eyes weren't on any of the shinobi or kunoichi in front her and crimson blush flooded her cheeks.

"Hinata?" TenTen voiced everyone's slight confusion.

"I-I got out," she said simply.

Naruto wasn't trusting it. He was involved in too many missions over the years not to learn to be cautious when in these sorts of situations. If it was in fact Hinata, the obvious question was "how did she escape?". She was barefoot yet there seemed to be no signs of wear and tear; what _should_ have happened if she had climbed out of a window or something of that nature. Her jacket was gone, which wasn't really much of evidence, it was just that Naruto had never seen her without it.

The blonde shinobi decided to test her. Hinata always blushed a very deep red when he got too close to her. He got up from his squatted position on the grass and engaged Hinata in a very tight embrace.

"N-N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata stammered. Naruto positioned his head to observe her face. It was flushed with crimson and her eyes almost bulged out of her sockets.

The Uzumaki let go quickly and whispered, "It's her."

Sakura smiled, "Nice thinking. I thought you were just being your overly happy self for a minute there." Naruto frowned. He _could _be smart if he wanted to.

"Getting to the real situation at hand," Shino interjected, "How did you escape Hinata?"

The female Hyuuga stepped closer and sat next to everyone, beginning to tell her tale…

"I think you should know first that I was taken captive when I was waiting for you guys to show up at the rendezvous point. I-I couldn't take being l-late again, so I decided to show up earlier. The next thing I know is that I'm waking up inside of the home, the enemies were gathered downstairs.

"All of them are gone. They're headed towards the palace. In fact, they should be there by now. They're after all-all of you.

"Anyway, I escaped easily because Masaru is the only one that remains in the house up there,"—Hinata pointed to the large building—"He kept a really close eye on me but I finally convinced him to let me go out into the garden in the back and from there I climbed over the wall and escaped. It was a-a little _too_ easy I must admit. But, a-apparently, he has a thing for me."

"You're right," Kakashi spoke, "I do."

_What?_

Instantly, Hinata activated her Byakugan and took a look at all of the chakras that were before her. Purple. Every last one of them had purple chakra.

_Genjutsu? !_

Naruto had been smart enough to test if she was the real Hyuuga Hinata, but when it came down to it, she wasn't smart enough to check _them_ out. She was much too trusting in people and now she was being punished for it.

The real Shino, Naruto, Sakura, TenTen, and Kakashi had been captured a while ago, and it happened right under Hinata's nose. How could she be so naïve? So unsuspecting of what was really going on?

The impostors pounced and the sky went black.

Hinata was tired of waking up in unfamiliar places, especially when they were starting to become familiar. She was put in the same room she was in before. After a quick scan of the room, the indigo haired kunoichi realized that she and her captor Masaru were the only ones in the room.

The raven haired man was reading a lengthy book. His eyes were scanning the pages rapidly yet they were animated, engulfed in the apparently interesting writing.

Hinata wanted to close her eyes and never open them again, maybe hoping she'd die quicker. It was a fool's mistake. It was ridiculous failure on her part that could have been very easily avoided. She knew that the chances of escaping the same way again was practically non-existent. There was no way he would trust her again after this attempt to escape. She hoped that the others would be able to escape.

"W-where are th-the others?" Hinata spoke, a volume more like a whisper than a mumbling tone.

"That doesn't concern you," Masaru replied, his voice harsh.

_He's not actually…_surprised_ I did this…is he?_

"But, if you really must know," he started again, "…they're dead."

Hinata couldn't believe that. She wouldn't. Not until she saw the bodies confirming their deaths. She had learned a long time ago to never believe something someone tells you without the evidence to back it up. It just leads to confusion and heartbreak.

Hinata had enough of these mind games that these siblings were pulling.

"Is she older than you?" Hinata asked, her voice was just as icy.

"Who are you-?"

"The 'princess'. She _is_ your sister right? Superior, too? What's h-her plan?"

Masaru's face grew devoid of color as the seconds progressed. Hinata couldn't help but crack a small smile.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! **

**~M.o.t.C  
**


End file.
